T-26 Light Tank

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Vital Stats

Manufacturer: Hobby Boss
Scale: 1:35
Vehicle: T-26 Mod. 1933 Soviet Light Tank
Aftermarket: Friul tracks

Mini-Review

I honestly had no idea what to expect when I snagged Hobby Boss’ T-26 for Large Scale Modeller’s Eastern Armor Group Build. I basically wanted not-a-T-34, and given the Barbarossa to Citadel timeframe, a lot of the later Soviet stuff was off limits.

What I found was a very buildable kit, albeit one that was remarkably fussy in certain areas.

The real headache with this kit is the running gear – in particular the 21-part suspension bogies and intricate assembly requirements of the drive sprockets. The tracks look like a nightmare, too, with microscopic track pins and 100+ links per side. I’m glad a went with the friuls, but if I were tackling the kit tracks, I’d almost certainly sub the plastic pins with metal. With a lot of patience, I’m reasonably confident they could be made workable.

Once the running gear is done, the rest of the kit is a breeze. There are a few small issues that need some attention – the missing vision slit on the driver’s hatch being the biggest omission. Additionally, the lift rings on the turret are molded pointing straight up, which would only really be accurate if the turret were being lifted off the tank by a crane. By slicing through one side of the ring after it’s been installed, it’s very easy to bend it down and weld it in place with some solvent glue.

The main body of the tank builds up quickly and easily. If I’d been focused on it exclusively, and not built a base, I’m confident I could have taken it from cracking the box to placing the finished kit on the shelf in about 20 to 25 days.

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